Sippin' and Swingin'

We have so much fun at the lake.

We play on the dock.

We swing.

We play with our friends.

We drink from a bucket.

What? Silly Haleigh!

Silly Abbi!

We share some giggles.

One little girl tries to take her shirt off after her nap.

We even try out the rope swing.

And by "we" I mean "not me."

Matt.

We decide it's too high.

(I'm with you Makenna.)

We flip.

Well, crazy brave Shelly does, anyway.

Abbi.

Matt.

David came all the way from Chicago to try it.

There goes Abbi again!

Flippin' Shelly.

And we even choose the slide as a safe option.

Good job Makenna!

We, and by "we" I mean "I" will share more fun weekend photos tomorrow.

You won't want to miss it!

The Woods Abide

On Friday, Jennifer, Bryan, and I headed out from the lake house to Nashville to our favorite place, Big Woods Brewing Company. Regular blog readers (both of you) have heard about some of the delicious items on their menu. My favorite? Pulled pork nachos. Just awesome. Additionally, on Fridays and Saturdays they serve Lil' Ricky's Famous Ribs. Also awesome.

If you are in Nashville, you should definitely stop in for a meal. The brewery serves guests 21 and over, but if you have the kids with you, you can walk down the alley to Big Woods Pizza.

Of course, most folks go there for the beer. Their popular Busted Knuckle will be available in bottles soon, and they brew several other varieties for your beer drinking pleasure. They also serve awesome root beer, my usual choice.

Beer to go is available in refillable growlers, and we left with one of Busted Knuckle and one of Cat Tail Wheat. As they say in the Woods, Quaff On!

We thought, with Jennifer sporting a pretty good shiner from her mishap with a horse this week, that there should be a Busted Knuckle joke in there somewhere!

I hope you'll have a chance to visit Big Woods sometime soon. Be sure to check out their website and like them on Facebook to keep up with all the latest down at the Woods.

Phone Photo Friday

Summer is winding down here on the farm.

It's been a crazy week including a trip to the ER when 

 Jennifer got knocked down by a horse at work. 

A bad bruise on her cheek, but nothing worse. Praise God!

Ready for fall and some Boiler (and Saints) Football!

Last of summer ~ Smiles

Shaggy dog ~ Boots in the ER

B Dubs ~ Almost time!
Linking up with Dawn at My Home Sweet Home
for Camera Phone Friday.

You Make Me Smile

Andrew and Darci are staying with us until their house is ready over at the cattle farm. So, while we were waiting for Matthew to get off the bus after school, I took a few pictures of sweet Haleigh.

You might say this girl loves to ham it up for the camera.

She has had several hundred thousand photos taken of her 

in her almost 19 month lifetime.

Many of those by yours truly, her Granny. 

When she sees me coming with my camera, 

she says "cheese" and starts posing. 

(I once heard about another little girl who did that 

when her Pampaw got his camera, oh so many years ago).

She can show me her belly button.

And she often cracks herself up.

We do need to remind her not to do this in Aunt Jennifer's wedding next April.

Still waiting for the bus.

Still smiling.

Showing her tongue.

Snapping her fingers?

Looking a bit sassy.

Happy, happy,

silly girl.

And finally, the bus was here!

Haleigh says, "yayyy!"

We had so much time for pictures because the bus driver 

missed seeing Matthew back there and didn't make the stop. 

By the time he realized the mistake, Matthew was about 20 minutes late 

and we were beginning to panic get a little worried. 

Since Matthew doesn't ride the bus home every day, 

and it's a new school year, everyone is still getting used to the routine.

No worries, though, after a call from the school to let us know, 

he was delivered safely.

And they watched the bus drive off into the sunset. 

Well, it wasn't quite that late, but you know what I mean. :)

Faith in the Hodgepodge

I am joining Joyce this week in a little bit of Hodgepodge. Please take a minute to hop over to visit her blog. She wrote a beautiful post yesterday about her niece, who is need of our prayers. I hope you will add her to yours, as well as my request later in this post. Prayers are powerful medicine.

1. Using what's in your frig right now what sort of meal would you be able to make for guests who are knocking at the front door this very minute?

Well, I can almost always come up with spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic toast. Salad would be a bit iffy. Also, right now, I would grill burgers and send someone out to the field for some sweet corn (is that allowed?). Well, since it's my dinner, I'm allowing it. We would probably add everyone's favorite, applesauce. Pancakes would be another option. I always remember when I was a newlywed, one of our pastors was preaching about hospitality. He gave the example that he and his wife served spaghetti the first time guests came over, pancakes the second time, and the third visit, the guests had their choice of spaghetti OR pancakes. It made an impression on me (not a cook then, not a cook now) to remember that the practice of hospitality is not based on the fanciness of your home or the meal. He called it the "with me principle." Just come be "with me." A great lesson.

2. What is something about yourself that you hope will change but that probably never will?

I always. Wait. Until. The. Last. Minute.

3. What's something about yourself that you hope will never change?

Tough one, hmmm, I don't know, my name (I'm too old to remember a new one), or maybe the weight listed on my driver's license (it's close... sure... right... I mean kind of... close... and who would actually ask a woman if this number is correct anyway...).

4. Do you usually send serious or funny greeting cards? Why?

I would say I usually send funny cards. I think I enjoy the cleverness and fun of cards, and have been known to buy a funny card with no one particular in mind as the recipient.

5. Bird watching, shell gathering, or star gazing- your choice for whiling away the hours?

Well, shell gathering would mean I'm at the beach, so I'll choose that one.

6. Do you double or triple check things? If so, what?

I know, it should be something like "are the doors locked" (we don't), or "is the iron off" (I don't, iron that is) but I do double and triple check this:

the tickets.

As soon as I get in the car, I check them. Count them. Check again. To be sure. We have them. Before we get to the game, show, concert, airport. My husband (who does not double, triple check them) thanks me.

7. What's your favorite place for people watching?

The airport.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We are heartbroken here in Indiana this week due to the horrible tragedy that took place on Saturday night at the Indiana State Fair. Just before Sugarland was to take the stage in the outdoor grandstand area, a 70+mph wind blew the rigging above the stage down and onto the crowd. Five people lost their lives, and around 40 were injured, some of whom are still fighting for their lives. Sugarland has written a letter addressing the tragedy, and posted on their website.

There were heroes in this terrible catastrophe - emergency medical personnel, fire rescue, state and local police, fairgrounds security and everyday Hoosiers attending the concert who ran toward the danger, instead of away, to help someone in need. Hoosiers helping Hoosiers.

Our Governor, Mitch Daniels, addressing a group of media in the wee early hours of Sunday morning, was emotional as he spoke of the lives lost and the devastation of those injured and witness to this terrible event. His pride in the way folks stepped in to help was evident. The clip of his speech is below. Be sure to pause the blog music to hear the speech.



There was a memorial service at the State Fairgrounds on Monday morning. The Governor spoke again, with pride and emotion, and here are a few of his words from that speech.

"My heart is full for those people who, some from duty but many simply from their love and personal bravery, acted in courageous ways to make sure Saturday night was not worse than it was. All day yesterday, I talked to state troopers, firemen, emergency personnel. Every one of them had a story about that stranger who was to their left and their right helping extricate the injured, lift the scaffolding, with complete disregard of their own safety. There was a hero every ten feet on Saturday night."
"I think we're entitled to say this morning, to ourselves and to America, Indiana's a special place. It's not everywhere that we would have seen that response and that reaction. I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the employee of six and a half million people like that. I bet you share that pride too," said the governor, wiping away tears.

I do share that pride.
Please join me in prayer for the families of those killed, for the healing of those injured, and for the devastation of all those affected by this tragedy.

Beautiful Monday

I drove past the cattle farm on my way home from town today. Blue sky, white clouds, green grass, black cattle make a mighty pretty picture.

I just had to stop and snap a few.

My little passenger was practicing "what does a cow say?" But sometimes she says, "neigh." We're working on it. :)

Lots and lots of corn.

A little self portrait.

And blue skies leading us home.